The
unintended theme of this week's reviews (other than New Jersey) is me looking at
genres I was not really familiar with and coming away with new perspectives. In
the case of Gerard Way's new solo album, Hesitant
Alien, the genre is glam rock. Whether that new perspective can be
explained coherently remains to be seen.
When
I first saw Way's new photos, I immediately thought of David Bowie in
"Modern Love". Technically, I don't think Bowie was even considered to
be particularly glam there; I believe that look and sound falls more under
post-disco/New Wave. Then I saw the first video, for "No Shows", which
takes place on an intergalactic television program, with an audience that looks
ready to participate in the "The Time Warp", and that led to thinking
more "Starman" and "Ziggy Stardust", and about what being a
hesitant alien means.
In
an interview performed with the Pink Station Zero host (which it is possible
should not be taken completely seriously), Way refers to never having felt like
he fit in, but then he decided that was how he fit in, and that there was a
need for that. When you go into space, you are the alien, and I believe there
are feelings of hesitation, but that it has ultimately been embraced.
One
thing I noticed re-watching "Modern Love" is that there is a range of
styles being worn by the various performers. Some of them have similar style,
but not all. That carries through in the "No Shows" video. The
guitarist and the singer are more tailored, the bass player and the drummer are
more casual, and there does not really seem to be a unified color palette, but
it all works together.
The
reason glam had never made sense to me was that the various bands it referred
to didn't really seem to have a lot in common musically, but perhaps that was
never the point. If instead it was about breaking boundaries and shining, then
there can be infinite ways of doing that. Once you give up on needing to fit
in, it no longer matters that you can't, and suddenly there is room for
everybody.
Which
is a lot to say without describing anything musically at all, but I think this
album fits in well. There is a fuzziness to the sound which reminds me of old
radio transmissions, and it seems equally plausible that they could be coming
out of the past or from outer space and deal more with the future.
The
intro on the very first track, "The Bureau" reminds me of Hendrix,
but that is just one aspect of a diverse and complex album. "Brother"
has the most layered textures I have heard all year, including some lovely
keys.
The
album is not too closely anchored to any one type of sound or year, another way
in which the space theme seems appropriate. Still, my biggest mental image is
very earthbound. It started from "Action Cat", but not only there,
and it's like being out at night after a rain, and seeing streetlights
reflecting off of the wet streets. It has rained, but there is still light. It
is might even be lonely, but in the next moment you could down the road to the
next adventure, or you could turn around and walk straight into an Edward
Hopper diner scene. That may not make
sense, but that's how the record sounds to me.
Hesitant Alien is available via both iTunes and Amazon for download, but
you can get CD and vinyl bundles via Way's site.
Also,
if you are interested in following Way's progress, I recommend following not
just Way, but also LolaPlusG on Twitter, who sends out news updates.
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